Mindfulness: it is not
just a buzzword or a trend to be dabbled in. It is something that we as adults
should be aiming to have a skill, and pass down to our children too. Before we
look at how we can instill mindfulness in our children (and whole family), let’s look at what mindfulness is.
“a mental state achieved
by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging
and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a
therapeutic technique.”
First things first:
In order to teach
something like mindfulness, we need to have our practices in place. How do you
do it? Do you meditate? Do you have an inner monologue of sayings that help you
stay in that space? Whatever it is, you have to be doing it too. If not, there
is no better time to start. Set a goal to begin meditating for at least 3
minutes a day – you can use an app to help you if you want, then up your time
when you get more and more comfortable with it.
Think about why you are
doing this? If you are finding that you are setting expectations, then perhaps
you need to reconsider. Anything other than for your child to learn to process
thoughts and feelings with a sense of confidence then stop.
